Ransomes AJax in Action

[@tonyhodgkinson4586]

I’ve got one MK4 and two MK5’s, superb mower. I also have the tool kit and oiler it came with.

[@lawnmowerjones3160]

Hi Tony , yes it shows you just how good they are, as they hardly changed over the years. A real pleasure to use. Thanks for your comment.

[@eyesaidthat2109]

Awesome! It sounds as if the blades are too tight to the breadknife?

[@lawnmowerjones3160]

Yes the Ajax is an Awesome mower. If it had been sharpened i could have backed it off a little, but wasn't to hard to push. Thanks for your comment.

[@Londonfogey]

Excellent video. I have seen one of these for £49 on Ebay but the front wooden roller appears to be partially missing, only the two outer rollers are there. Would it run ok like this?

[@lawnmowerjones3160]

Hi, Well if it has a grass box , and the rest is in good order. It would be well worth £49. The wooden front rollers are nothing really to worry about, you can use it with just the outer. Or find someone with a lathe and would be an easy job to turn a set up. Enjoy your Ajax. Thanks for your comment.

[@Londonfogey]

@@lawnmowerjones3160 Thanks - have actually now found a completely intact one for £25 - so I've snapped that one up instead!

[@lawnmowerjones3160]

Well £25 for a complete mower, doesn't come better than that! Well done enjoy!@@Londonfogey

[@themowerman]

I did a full restoration on one of these.. a fantastic mower..

[@lawnmowerjones3160]

Hi Mick Yes i think i have seen it. Great mowers, they will never make them like this again!

[@Arietje]

@@lawnmowerjones3160 Very nice indeed. The webb h12r is still being sold, it really looks alike. However they are out of stock most of the times, I'm trying to get one.

[@tonyhodgkinson4586]

@@Arietje The Webb has a plastic rear roller and not as well made as the Webb Witch, that it was based on.

[@Arietje]

@@tonyhodgkinson4586 Indeed, that's ashame. Its the only one commercially available at the moment it seems. I think there would be a market for a little bit better build one for a little higher price. Now its either this or the more expensive ones that start at 1500 euro or more like Allett, Swardman or Masport.

[@sweetmother2406]

Very cool

[@lawnmowerjones3160]

Thanks, great mowers Thanks for your comment.

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

Do you think an enterprising user with the ability to machine new gears could convert this to a chain drive or helical gear drive, and modify the ratio?

[@lawnmowerjones3160]

Hi, I think it would always be better to have new gears made , like for like, if the old ones are badly warn. Ransomes would have spent a lot of time getting the gear ratios correct, so changing the gears for something different would probably only spoil it. Thanks for your comment.

[@shion_lwn]

Hi! Im in the middle of restoration of MK4. it took me 1-2 months to collect spare parts from the UK (I'm in Canada). Slowly gettung there :) one thing I would need some advice is that, is there any way to have the handle "movable"? I have a slope in my lawn, and it is difficult to use a mower with fixed handles when going up..so I bought my reel mowers that I can move em.

[@lawnmowerjones3160]

Hi, well you have good taste! Good to here your are making progress, there probably were not many exported to Canada. Roller hand mowers where only really popular in the UK. The handles are normally adjusted and then tightened in place. There will be a way to make them movable. The bolts are 5/16, if you had 4 bushes machined up with a hole to take the 5/16 bolt, and the bushes would need to be a little thicker than the handle bar mountings, the top holes would need to be drilled and slotted and lower holes drilled the made up bushes would need to be a lose fit in the handle bar. You may need longer 5/16 bolts, and when tightened the roller scraper plate remains tight, the top bolts tight and you now have handles the pivot. Hope this helps. Thanks for your comment.

[@shion_lwn]

@lawnmowerjones3160 Thank you for the suggestion! I was thinking something that can 'pivot' and leave the bolts loose for the handles..and you explained perfectly! That is very helpful.

[@lawnmowerjones3160]

Hi, yes you should really be able to here the roller ratchets clicking. I would say don’t use any grease on the ratchets, just lightly oil. Grease will deaden the clicking and possibly encourage them to slip. You probably know there is a right and wrong way to get them. Good luck. Thanks for your comment.

[@shion_lwn]

@@lawnmowerjones3160 Thank you. I got the rachets clicking as they should :)

[@shion_lwn]

​@lawnmowerjones3160 Hi again! so I finished the restoration. Only thing I struggle is that the gear/rear rollers/reel blades are pretty tight that rear drums slips (wouldn't rotate) on my short cut grass on slight sloped lawn. If I tighten the nut for the gear for reel blade, drums won't even move. Im not certain if that's how this vintage mower is??

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

I had to turn the volume up to 250%, then down to 200% Bet it beats a motor mower. Less pollution, maybe less noise pollution (though yours is quite noisy!), no having to pull the engine to give it a crank (easier if you're strong but can't extend your arm very far). Many reel-type mowers are being made for the North American market nowadays, in widths from 14 to 20 inches (in proper money, 355.6 mm to 508 mm) as well as even wider, but I bet they're a poor imitation of this, and they use wheels rather than a roller for the drive. I intend to use such a poor imitation mower to scalp (!) my lawn so that plants I actually want can grow in its place. You never mentioned using an old fashioned scythe to crop the oversized grass! That said, I doubt such a thing would work very well, as I've tried it. It's better for whacking weeds that occur in open spaces.

[@lawnmowerjones3160]

Hello again. Yes i do need to get my microphones charged as out door filming does vary . Ransomes do have a contact cutting cylinder, so some noise will be made, ( Rather nice sound though ) If you have a small piece of lawn, and is flat and not to long, a hand mower is probably green as you are going to get. Something well made would last you years, so got to be good for the environment. In the uk these days new hand mowers are mainly 12" / 14" cut as you say in America you do much larger sizes. The old Fashioned Scythe , that's a skill and another topic. Thanks again for your comment.